Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A highly original and scholarly work on spirituality by noted historian Mircea Eliade

In The Sacred and the Profane, Mircea Eliade observes that while contemporary people believe their world is entirely profane, or secular, they still at times find themselves connected unconsciously to the memory of something sacred. It's this premise that both drives Eliade's exhaustive exploration of the sacred&#8212;as it has manifested in space, time, nature and the cosmos, and life itself&#8212;and buttresses his expansive view of the human experience.

Synopsis:

In a book of great originality and scholarship, a noted historian of religion traces manifestations of the sacred from primitive to modern times, in terms of space, time, nature and the cosmos, and life itself. The Sacred and the Profane serves as an excellent introduction to the history of religion, but its perspective also encompasses philosophical anthropology, phenomenology, and psychology. It will be of concern to anyone seeking to discover the potential dimensions of human existence.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

crowyhead, October 18, 2007 (view all comments by crowyhead)
A hugely influential book about the study of religion. Parts of it are no longer current, but it's still definitely worth reading and having around, due to the way it shaped the field.

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"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
In a book of great originality and scholarship, a noted historian of religion traces manifestations of the sacred from primitive to modern times, in terms of space, time, nature and the cosmos, and life itself. The Sacred and the Profane serves as an excellent introduction to the history of religion, but its perspective also encompasses philosophical anthropology, phenomenology, and psychology. It will be of concern to anyone seeking to discover the potential dimensions of human existence.

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